


Iridescent

by wingsNbees



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Pre-Slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-08
Updated: 2020-12-08
Packaged: 2021-03-10 03:34:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 849
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27957713
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wingsNbees/pseuds/wingsNbees
Summary: That night, Castiel dared to tread into Dean’s dreams.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester
Comments: 2
Kudos: 27





	Iridescent

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place at some point after "Lazarus Rising". Does not contain spoilers beyond the events discussed in "Lazarus Rising".
> 
> Written because my best friend, who somehow escaped the fandom life for 15 years, started watching SPN to make a list of 'near deaths' for the boys, and promptly forgot about it because she got too invested, and then got to Season 4, which became a Big Sad for her. You're welcome, Jenn.
> 
> Also big thanks to neenaz over on tumblr for fueling my descent back into Destiel Hell. Those boys deserved better, damn it.
> 
> Cas' wing description is inspired by both the fandom headcanon that they are black, and the recent comment made by Misha that Cas' wings are rainbow colored.

Dean was pacing the length of the kitchen.  
  
Castiel had taken up watching him from a distance, even if Dean was actually a little boring to observe. Dean’s nightmares, though… Castiel wondered how he could manage going through his life with the weight of what he’d done on his shoulders.  
  
Castiel could remember that day clearly.  
  
Dean hadn’t yet put the next soul on the rack when there was a blinding, bright light all around him. Castiel had felt as if his vessel would melt away from him as he took step after step towards Dean. Dean had turned, looking at Castiel, his face dirty and bloody, his eyes haunted and tortured. Castiel had watched as Dean crumbled in front of him, a whisper on his lips. _“Please.”  
  
_ Castiel had held him tight in his arms as he carried him from Hell, away from Alastair and away from the screams. Dean had cried out when Castiel’s hand had scorched his shoulder, leaving a permanent mark, but then, he’d gone still and quiet, his eyes drooping shut as Castiel mended his wounds and stitched him back together.  
  
Castiel had known he couldn’t ever repair the damage Alastair had done to Dean’s mind, to his memories, the scars ran too deep and too painful.  
  
But now, as he watched Dean pace, trying to wear himself out so he could sleep, Castiel stayed hidden away.  
  
Dean eventually fell asleep on the couch, and Castiel stepped into the kitchen, walking silently towards Dean and watching over him as he slept, drifting back into the celestial plane when Dean stirred.  
  
Dean sat up, looking around the room. He was sure there’d been someone there, but he couldn’t put a finger on it. He laid back down, closed his eyes, and fell back asleep. Dean’s nightmares returned, making him toss and turn on the couch, and Castiel reappeared, briefly, touching two light fingers to Dean’s forehead, clearing away the nightmares that plagued him. Dean’s face softened, his breathing evened out, and Castiel stood watch over him until morning.  
  
Dean caught a glimpse of Castiel when he woke, and he sat up, but not quickly enough, because then, Castiel was gone.  
  
“Cas,” Dean whispered.  
  
That night, Castiel dared to tread into Dean’s dreams, and he pushed away the nightmares that threatened to overwhelm Dean. He found Dean, sitting at the edge of a lake, fishing, and when he appeared, Dean looked up at him. “I’m dreaming, aren’t I,” Dean said, Castiel said, plainly,  
  
“Yes.”  
  
“Not for nothing, Cas,” Dean started, “but you can’t just crash a guy’s dreams whenever you feel like it.”  
  
“My apologies.”  
  
Dean sighed. “It’s fine, Cas. Best dream I’ve had in a while.”  
  
Castiel stays with him until he wakes up, keeping Dean’s dreams peaceful and soothing. If Dean wakes up and doesn’t remember, that’s just something that Castiel will have to live with.  
  
One night, Dean’s dreams take a familiar, dark turn, and Castiel tries to fix them again when he realizes what day Dean is dreaming of. He can hear the tortured screams, he can smell the blood, the memory of that day all too real, but this time, he watches as Dean turns and sees him, Castiel, stepping in front of him, his grace shining out through every single molecule of his vessel.  
  
Castiel wonders if Dean really remembers this.  
  
If Dean, so broken and tortured, remembered Castiel like this, his grace spilling out and drenching the filth of Hell in pure, absolute light.  
  
Castiel doesn’t want to know the answer, but at the same time, he does.  
  
Castiel watches as Dean, reliving this, collapses against him after that one whispered word, and Castiel holds him tight. Castiel watches as his wings unfurl, shimmering bright and multicolored, and Castiel realized that he hadn’t been aware that Dean had seen them that day.  
  
Castiel doesn’t miss the look on Dean’s face, the sudden peace that washes over him.  
  
The emotion is strong, heady, and Castiel is afraid of it, because he doesn’t want to know if Dean can remember it outside of his dreams. Instead, Castiel watches as the facsimile of himself rescues Dean, wrapping him up in soft wings that Castiel knows will be forever burned beyond true repair.  
  
Castiel watches as he carries Dean away from that place, and he watches as Dean’s eyes stay open as Dean’s head lolls back onto Castiel’s shoulder.  
  
His voice is soft and deafening all at once.  
  
 _Dean Winchester is saved.  
  
_ Castiel watches as Dean closes his eyes, shielded by Castiel’s wings, and Castiel takes a step forward.  
  
Suddenly, the dream fades, and Castiel is back on the dock, watching over Dean as he fishes. He wonders, briefly, if Dean could remember seeing his wings how they had been, not the ugly, burnt ones he had now. Eventually, Castiel returns to Heaven, and he lets himself look at his wings.  
  
They’re still burnt black, the shimmering, iridescent colors of before muted by the stain of his wings.  
  
But Castiel knows that he would do it all again, if only to save Dean.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> I am also on tumblr as wings-n-bees, I occasionally post stuff there and on my writing tumblr, wnb-writes.
> 
> Reviews aren't necessary, but they are appreciated!


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